Overview
- The government shutdown has stretched to roughly one month, leaving about 750,000 federal employees furloughed or working without pay.
- Trump publicly pressed Republicans to invoke the “nuclear option” to eliminate the 60-vote threshold, calling on them to “play their Trump card.”
- Republicans hold a 53–47 majority in the Senate and 219–213 in the House, yet most legislation still needs 60 Senate votes to advance under current rules.
- The CBO estimates the shutdown could erase $7 billion to $14 billion in economic output, while SNAP benefits for roughly 42 million people face imminent risk and Democratic-led states have sued to protect payments.
- Senate Republicans are pushing a stopgap into November 21, as Democrats demand negotiations over expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.